Khalil replaces Junaid for Bangladesh tour

Mohammad Khalil, the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited left-arm seamer, has been named as Junaid Khan's replacement in Pakistan's Test, ODI and Twenty20 squads for the Bangladesh tour. Khalil, who has not played for Pakistan since 2005, got the call-up after Junaid picked up a partial strain in his abdominal muscle during Pakistan's one-day series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates.

Khalil, 29, is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One, with 43 wickets from seven games. Twenty-one-year-old left-arm quick Sadaf Hussain, who also has 43 wickets in the current season, has been ignored, while Tanvir Ahmed and Wahab Riaz continue to be left out.

Mohammad Ilyas, Pakistan's interim chief selector, said it had been a tough decision and made special mention of Sadaf, saying he would be given an opportunity at some stage. "We had a four-hour deliberation to choose Junaid's replacement out of four potential bowlers and Khalil's name was finalised by consensus of the team management and the national selection committee," Ilyas told ESPNcricinfo.

"It was a tough call. They [the four candidates] all have talent but we had to choose one. It is a positive sign that we have such strong bench strength. Those who were not selected should not be discouraged, especially Sadaf. He is a future prospect and definitely will be handed a chance, but at the right time. This time Khalil was the best option. He is in the best form and condition of his career and has taken most of his [domestic] wickets against good teams."

The first time Khalil was picked in a Pakistan squad was for the Test series against Bangladesh in 2003-04. He didn't get a game then but played three ODIs and a Test on the tour of Australia in 2004-05. He managed five wickets in the ODIs but went wicketless in the Test and again failed to get a wicket when he played the Kolkata Test on Pakistan's 2005 tour of India. He went back to domestic cricket and finished the 2010-11 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as the third-highest wicket-taker with 61 wickets at an average of 19.24.

Junaid is out of cricket for six weeks after he sustained a partial tear in his abdominal muscle while bowling during the fifth ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi. He will have to undergo rest and then rehabilitation. Junaid impressed in the Test series against Sri Lanka in the UAE, taking 12 wickets over the three Tests. He was left out for the first four ODIs but replaced Cheema for the dead rubber in Abu Dhabi. He bowled just three overs before leaving the field after experiencing pain in his abdomen. He was taken to hospital for an MRI scan and it was discovered he had a partial tear in his right abdominal muscle that will need six-weeks recovery time.

Khalil joins Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema and Mohammad Talha in the pace department for the Tests in Bangladesh, while the ODI squad has Sohail Tanvir along with Gul and Cheema.

Abdul Razzaq, the experienced allrounder, is also a doubt for the Bangladesh tour after he picked up a right shoulder injury in the third ODI against Sri Lanka. The PCB have not yet named a replacement for him.

The tour of Bangladesh begins with a one-off Twenty20 in Mirpur on November 29, after which there will be three ODIs and two Tests.

Sadaf played most of his domestic matches in pindi ground which is green top. Khalil played his matches all over country and took wickets , this showed variety of his bowling. Inclusion of Muhammed Talha is wrong. Sadaf should be selected in the place for talha in ODI series in Bangladesh. This is not a plea that Khalil is 29 . Aizaz Chema is 32 years old and he has performed well against srilanka. Performance and fitness matter. wishes for Khalil and hope for Sadaf for next time. SAdaf should be included for talha

Ather
on November 26, 2011, 4:58 GMT

Sami is not a test match bowler he got destroyed in abu dhabi by south africa his match figures were 179-0 and after that he should never ever play test cricekt for pakistan again he is a onderful odi and t20i bowler never a test bowler please dont brign him back in tests thank you

shan
on November 25, 2011, 14:16 GMT

Khalil deserved a Shance its a good selection but what i dont understand is what malik and farhat are doing in the side ...farhat is in the side only bcuz of his father in law I think fawwad alam should have been given a chance in test as he had scored 168 in his debut and is the second highest scorer in the domestic this season whith an average of 80+ ... I hope he gets selected in the next series ...Why was Tanvir dropped, if it was bcuz of age than we are replacing him with cheema and khalil superb!!

ashok
on November 25, 2011, 9:51 GMT

Any punjab born bowler will definitely do good, irrespective or india or pak. Rizwan seem to be of punjab and he is doing good and he should have been selected ahead of khalil.

naeem
on November 25, 2011, 9:14 GMT

It is another example of nepotism why sadaf Hussi is not being selected?

Dummy4
on November 25, 2011, 7:29 GMT

I am from India and I request PCB to please bring back Imran Nazir atleast in T20s.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 22:47 GMT

Well, it was better to select Saddaf because he is young and in form. Khalil has already been checked and INZI was disappointed by his performance. Moreover, Khalil is already 29, so better to check 21 year Saddaf who is also a left hander.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 19:59 GMT

its worng for pak cricket wher is sadaf hussain

Rimtu
on November 24, 2011, 19:20 GMT

The image of Junaid on this article, is a ditto copy of Wasim Akram in one of his many wicket taking celebrations. Maybe Junaid is the real Wasim Akram 2.0 that Pakistan has been waiting for? Maybe Amir was just a false alert! Junaid is certainly proved his worth by bowling and doing really well in the unfriendly conditions. Will his batting improve just as much?

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 19:17 GMT

Good Selection, He has been performing on the domestic circuit for long enough taking wickets and his stats prove this. Inshallah Khalil can once again showcase his skills on the international stage - PCB - Keep the faith & Khalil all the best.

khurram
on November 26, 2011, 8:23 GMT

Sadaf played most of his domestic matches in pindi ground which is green top. Khalil played his matches all over country and took wickets , this showed variety of his bowling. Inclusion of Muhammed Talha is wrong. Sadaf should be selected in the place for talha in ODI series in Bangladesh. This is not a plea that Khalil is 29 . Aizaz Chema is 32 years old and he has performed well against srilanka. Performance and fitness matter. wishes for Khalil and hope for Sadaf for next time. SAdaf should be included for talha

Ather
on November 26, 2011, 4:58 GMT

Sami is not a test match bowler he got destroyed in abu dhabi by south africa his match figures were 179-0 and after that he should never ever play test cricekt for pakistan again he is a onderful odi and t20i bowler never a test bowler please dont brign him back in tests thank you

shan
on November 25, 2011, 14:16 GMT

Khalil deserved a Shance its a good selection but what i dont understand is what malik and farhat are doing in the side ...farhat is in the side only bcuz of his father in law I think fawwad alam should have been given a chance in test as he had scored 168 in his debut and is the second highest scorer in the domestic this season whith an average of 80+ ... I hope he gets selected in the next series ...Why was Tanvir dropped, if it was bcuz of age than we are replacing him with cheema and khalil superb!!

ashok
on November 25, 2011, 9:51 GMT

Any punjab born bowler will definitely do good, irrespective or india or pak. Rizwan seem to be of punjab and he is doing good and he should have been selected ahead of khalil.

naeem
on November 25, 2011, 9:14 GMT

It is another example of nepotism why sadaf Hussi is not being selected?

Dummy4
on November 25, 2011, 7:29 GMT

I am from India and I request PCB to please bring back Imran Nazir atleast in T20s.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 22:47 GMT

Well, it was better to select Saddaf because he is young and in form. Khalil has already been checked and INZI was disappointed by his performance. Moreover, Khalil is already 29, so better to check 21 year Saddaf who is also a left hander.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 19:59 GMT

its worng for pak cricket wher is sadaf hussain

Rimtu
on November 24, 2011, 19:20 GMT

The image of Junaid on this article, is a ditto copy of Wasim Akram in one of his many wicket taking celebrations. Maybe Junaid is the real Wasim Akram 2.0 that Pakistan has been waiting for? Maybe Amir was just a false alert! Junaid is certainly proved his worth by bowling and doing really well in the unfriendly conditions. Will his batting improve just as much?

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 19:17 GMT

Good Selection, He has been performing on the domestic circuit for long enough taking wickets and his stats prove this. Inshallah Khalil can once again showcase his skills on the international stage - PCB - Keep the faith & Khalil all the best.

Abrar
on November 24, 2011, 18:02 GMT

@Farhansabir ...... Sadaf is also a left arm bowler, So he should be given a chance ahead of Khalil

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 17:28 GMT

I can NEVER EVER understand how in the world Imran Farhat is better than Imran Nazir.
For God sake PCB, Give Nazir a chance.

Yousuf
on November 24, 2011, 16:49 GMT

Sami was last seen in Sydney ,destroyed the Aussies batting and almost
single handed won the test for Pakistan.was ignored after that. He is still the fastest and fittest bowler in Country.

Stark
on November 24, 2011, 16:46 GMT

What the heck?!?!

Another guy who is around about the 30 mark.

How are you going to find the next Wasim, Waqar or Imran if you keep playing 30 year old?!?!

I thought Amir was banned by ICC for 5 years? How come he is expected to be back after few months, according to some members who posted the comments?

If anyone knows please clarify, thanks in advance.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 16:21 GMT

Khalil is probably the best bowler in pakistan domestic cricket at the moment he was not given a decent chance the first time. He is much quicker now and can bring the ball in and out he can also bat a bit. He deserves his chance and should get a good run now... apart from that he is a decent bloke.

No !!!! no more Sami ................................ The squad would be fine if there is no Sohaib Malik ....
Yeah @ Ayaz, I will also propose for picking young pacer from future point of view !!!

MA
on November 24, 2011, 15:55 GMT

why are they drafting in player aged 28-30, specially bowlers, they would come and go away just like rana naveed, if they were good enough why werent they selected earlier - i guess politics. but anyways it should have been wahab riaz, i dunno whats the reason behind not selecting wahab riaz, if he's fit and has no OTHER issues why not select him? i personally dont like him as a person but out of the three left hand fast bowlers to select for any series i would go with 1-junaid, 2-wahab, 3-suhail

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 15:49 GMT

i totally disagree with the bowling selection. Tanvir Ahmed is a way best bowler against south africa squad and West Indies but unfortunately (again) was totally ignored after that ... didn't seems to be fair with him. he is old but performing well for GOD sake for England Series gain some better attack. Pakistan would be disappointing in England Test Series if they don't get a good Attack.

Tanvir Ahmed is best right now for upcoming series.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 15:36 GMT

zaka ashraf, zarai taraqiati bank, mohd khalil......hmmmmmmmm

Farhan
on November 24, 2011, 15:35 GMT

Interesting choice...i also thought that a youngster like Sadaf Hussain with an impressive run in first class cricket should have been selected as a replacement. But i guess the selectors wanted to replace a left arm pacer with another left arm pacer. I hope Khalil makes the most of this opportunity. Good luck!

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 14:49 GMT

Every one will disagree with me but my choice is sami give him a good run against bangladesh & he will do well for pak in upcomming england series...!!

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 14:28 GMT

though you all said someting diffrent and as an average u voted for sohil tanvir but i thiknk Junaid Khan is the best bowler and after few moths amir will be back .....and we will hv the bst bowler....!! :D

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 14:26 GMT

Isn't he the same lad to whom Inzamam said.....no he cant swing....to a journalist after the kolkota test ?

Avais
on November 24, 2011, 14:18 GMT

Good call by the selectors. If Khalil's performance in domestic circuit for last two years would not be counted, there was no sense in playing FC cricket in Pak. Khalil is still young at 29, and I'm sure he is a beter bolwer than he was 6-7 years ago. I' agree with @Zahidsaltin, Sadaf has to prove his form in other less helpful wickets, particularly in south of the country, Karachi. He is till young and has to improve his pace by a yard or two to be successful at Intenational level. Happy for Talha, who has been working extremly hard over the years. Tanvir is not getting any younger and his lack of pace will be more obvious now, he already got the chance what he deserved. Regrading Wahab, PCB should come out with clear statement regarding reason behind his snub, otherwise he is ranked 2 FB after Gul in Pak, IMO.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 14:16 GMT

Sadaf Hussain should have been given a chance. He has earned it.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 14:15 GMT

The only thing i remember of khalil is when someone asked inzamam that do you think khalil was under pressure and couldnt bowl well.....after the test match in kolkata....and he replied very calmly......we waited for the swing that was told to us, but it never came. .....I hope khalil can prove a point now or else its curtains

Adnan
on November 24, 2011, 14:12 GMT

@ Noushad, by mentioning sami i think you are kidding and making a joke of him, otherwise no man with litle bit of crickting knowledge and has fallowed pak team will not dear to take his name

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 14:10 GMT

he is also very good blower

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 13:59 GMT

I have read all the comments, Naushad please don't ask for sami, he is just a bullet having no direction. The squad will be fine if there is no to Imran Farhat.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 13:39 GMT

what is the point of calling back a bowler, who had not impressed earlier, and is now 29 years old? we already have Aizaz who is 32 years old. how about looking at future and picking up young pacers, for a change?

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 13:31 GMT

Well done Khalil bhai about time you have been called up you have been the best bowler in pakistan for a long time.

Anver
on November 24, 2011, 13:19 GMT

Another promising lad from "The Pace Talent Factory" of Pak .... Good Luck !!!!!

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 13:10 GMT

@Naushad Hussain ,I suggest for Mohammad Sami , his time is over give chances to young blood , Sami has been given chances for so many times no very effective bowler in International scale.

Babar
on November 24, 2011, 13:06 GMT

I think Mohamad talha is the better choice cuz he is the best fastest bowler in Pakistan

Yasir
on November 24, 2011, 13:02 GMT

To the guy who suggested Mohammad Sami... hahahha... you are joking right...? M. Sami is M. Ashraful of bowling... if you know what I mean...

shahid
on November 24, 2011, 9:07 GMT

Mohammad Khalil has been performing for a long time and is entitled to a chance. Sadaf needs to prove him at other vanues than Rawalpindis fast wicket. Every fast bowler playing for Rawalpindi always bags a lot of wickets.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 8:32 GMT

What about Tanvir Ahmed? People seem to quietly forgot about him.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 7:28 GMT

Wahab is sidelined because of the ICC... he needs clearance from ICC to be selected in the national squad...

Pleasure
on November 24, 2011, 7:02 GMT

O C'mon WAHAB RIAZ must get the chance....Ciao

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 4:53 GMT

how about Tanvir Ahmed?
Why was he dropped? No reason given.

Ali
on November 24, 2011, 3:30 GMT

In conclusion of most of the comments most people prefer Sadaf over Wahab. Personally i would like Wahab to come in because he has been sidelined for no apparent reason. For the previous tours they said he needed to rest (pathetic reason) but what excuse did they have to leave him out of the Srilankan series? He earned the spot and deserves to keep it.

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 3:28 GMT

I think Mohammad Sami is the better choice cuz he is the best fastest bowler in Pakistan nowadays

Dummy4
on November 24, 2011, 2:37 GMT

wahab riaz please....he is a owsom bowler.!

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 23:21 GMT

What pace does Sadaf Hussein bowl?

Jawwad
on November 23, 2011, 22:30 GMT

Why not try Anwar Ali or the new kid Sadaf? I have seen Anwar has a natural talent to swing the bowl both left and right and is at pretty good pace. I hear Sadaf's been the highest wicket taker in a domestic tournament. Boys who are outstanding in tournaments should be awarded a chance to play.

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 22:06 GMT

@tick: Sadaf Hussain 'trashed in domestic T20' ? He didn't play Faysal Bank T20, and if averaging 16 in FC cricket @ SR 30 is being 'trashed', I should change my dictionary: this man is taking 5-fer in First Class cricket for fun dude!

But I think Junaid Khan will be replaced by Muhammad Khalil.

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 21:13 GMT

@tick: Regarding Sadaf Hussain, well first of all, yeah I've seen Sadaf bowl, he is the same pace as Gul (mid 80s) who has great line and length, can swing the ball both ways, knows how to bowl cutters and can nip it around too, he has the potential to be the best pacer in the world in a few years. Secondly, he never played in the T20 tournament as he was working at the academy on fitness and honing his skills for the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, so dunno who you saw getting thrashed in T20s but it certainly wasn't Sadaf. Thirdly, Cheema and Junaid aren't exactly old timers, shouldn't be a problem selecting a newbie who is the best bowler in Pakistan at the moment

masood
on November 23, 2011, 20:21 GMT

has any one see sadaf hussain bowling...just a medium pacer who was thrashed in domestic t20...cheema,gul,ajmal,rehman for test...gul,tanvir,cheema/razzaq for odi's...no need of any new bee

syed
on November 23, 2011, 20:07 GMT

Sad to hear about Junaid's injury. I hope he will fully recover and get back into action soon. Although the credit for pushing him to his limits would go to the mighty Sangakara for tossing him around at will in Junaid's very first over. Kiddo needs to learn to swallow his pride and play smart cricket. Though all young and furious get smart with experience and Junaid will be no exception. More than likely, his skills will warrant a long and successful career.

syed
on November 23, 2011, 19:40 GMT

Would love to see Sadaf Hussain in action. He missed out on an outing in West Indies despite the fact that he was on the roster. For an all rounder spot, Hammad Khan looked fabulous on the same West Indies tour and it is not clear why he is being rested. I also hope to see Ahmed Shehzad back in the line up. Like Umar Akmal, he is the young talent that hopefully PCB will take advantage of.

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 18:53 GMT

C'mon guys, Wahab Riaz is most likely going to replace either junaid or razzaq, as he is in fantastic form on both english county cricket circuit and the domestic season going on these days here in pakistan.

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 18:51 GMT

wahab riaz obviously...why was he even dropped in the first place !?

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 18:40 GMT

i will go with sadaf hussain... !!

Sami
on November 23, 2011, 18:38 GMT

So many comments with different names, well, they should replace Junaid with Mohammed Amir!! O wait....I mean Mohammed Irfan!! When he's at the crease, it's like seeing a huge titan battling against his minions.

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 17:20 GMT

No doubt about Sadaf hussain. He is master one and more effective than Tanvir Ahmed

Shehbaz
on November 23, 2011, 17:03 GMT

Oh no!!! Such sad news!!! Well, it has to be between SADAF HUSSAIN & MUHAMMAD KHALIL [both left arm pacemen] as to who replaces poor old Junaid. Both Sadaf Hussain and Muhammad Khalil have been fantastic, for the last couple of seasons! Still don't know as to why Tanvir Ahmad was dropped? The Pakistan pace bowling factories continue to thrive! PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!!!

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 16:43 GMT

True Sadaf sud be given chance,so is Muhammad Talha.

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 16:35 GMT

so sad . Now plz bring in tanveer ahmad

Stark
on November 23, 2011, 16:28 GMT

There is only one guy who can replace him and he is the most destructive bowler in domestic circuit for at least a good two years.

His name is........SADAF HUSSAIN!!!!!

No featured comments at the moment.

Stark
on November 23, 2011, 16:28 GMT

There is only one guy who can replace him and he is the most destructive bowler in domestic circuit for at least a good two years.

His name is........SADAF HUSSAIN!!!!!

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 16:35 GMT

so sad . Now plz bring in tanveer ahmad

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 16:43 GMT

True Sadaf sud be given chance,so is Muhammad Talha.

Shehbaz
on November 23, 2011, 17:03 GMT

Oh no!!! Such sad news!!! Well, it has to be between SADAF HUSSAIN & MUHAMMAD KHALIL [both left arm pacemen] as to who replaces poor old Junaid. Both Sadaf Hussain and Muhammad Khalil have been fantastic, for the last couple of seasons! Still don't know as to why Tanvir Ahmad was dropped? The Pakistan pace bowling factories continue to thrive! PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!!!

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 17:20 GMT

No doubt about Sadaf hussain. He is master one and more effective than Tanvir Ahmed

Sami
on November 23, 2011, 18:38 GMT

So many comments with different names, well, they should replace Junaid with Mohammed Amir!! O wait....I mean Mohammed Irfan!! When he's at the crease, it's like seeing a huge titan battling against his minions.

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 18:40 GMT

i will go with sadaf hussain... !!

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 18:51 GMT

wahab riaz obviously...why was he even dropped in the first place !?

Dummy4
on November 23, 2011, 18:53 GMT

C'mon guys, Wahab Riaz is most likely going to replace either junaid or razzaq, as he is in fantastic form on both english county cricket circuit and the domestic season going on these days here in pakistan.

syed
on November 23, 2011, 19:40 GMT

Would love to see Sadaf Hussain in action. He missed out on an outing in West Indies despite the fact that he was on the roster. For an all rounder spot, Hammad Khan looked fabulous on the same West Indies tour and it is not clear why he is being rested. I also hope to see Ahmed Shehzad back in the line up. Like Umar Akmal, he is the young talent that hopefully PCB will take advantage of.

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